The Los Angeles Lakers have a roster problem. Bronny James, at least for now, does not appear to be their preferred solution.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin said Thursday on NBA Today that the Lakers must make another move after signing Matisse Thybulle. The addition of the two-time All-Defensive selection left Los Angeles with 16 players on guaranteed standard contracts, one above the regular-season limit.
Although the Lakers can bring as many as 20 players to training camp, they must trade or waive somebody before opening night. McMenamin identified Jarred Vanderbilt, Dalton Knecht and Jaden Hardy as three potential trade candidates.
Bronny was not among them.
His omission does not guarantee his place on the opening-night roster or make him untouchable. But it represents another encouraging sign for the 21-year-old guard following LeBron James’ departure.
Bronny James Absent From Trade Discussion
GettyBronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers talks to Dalton Knecht during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
“There are 16 players on the team, so just by virtue of that information, they aren’t done,” McMenamin said.
The Lakers, according to McMenamin, have attempted to move Vanderbilt and Knecht without finding a deal. Vanderbilt’s multiyear contract presents a financial complication, while Knecht’s trade value has declined since his promising rookie season.
Hardy offers another potential resolution. Los Angeles acquired him and two future second-round picks from the Washington Wizards in the Deandre Ayton trade.
McMenamin said that transaction was driven more by the Lakers’ desire to acquire draft assets and clear their center rotation for Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney than by a specific interest in Hardy. With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Collin Sexton and Quentin Grimes already occupying backcourt roles, Hardy could be expendable.
The Lakers have not officially declared that their decision is limited to those three players. McMenamin also did not report that Bronny is unavailable in trade discussions.
Still, his assessment adds context to the Lakers’ previous actions and their reported view of Bronny.
Bronny James’ Future Not Tied to LeBron
Los Angeles fully guaranteed Bronny’s approximately $2.3 million salary for the 2026-27 season before LeBron announced he would not return. The team also controls a player-friendly team option for 2027-28, giving it additional time to evaluate his development.
Dan Woike of The Athletic reported that the Lakers think highly of Bronny and do not view his future as necessarily tied to his father’s next destination. According to Woike, Bronny is well-liked within the organization, has earned respect for his work habits and made considerable progress during his first two professional seasons.
That reporting is more substantive than his omission from McMenamin’s list. Together, however, the contract guarantee, the organization’s internal regard for Bronny and the three other players identified as trade possibilities suggest he is not currently the obvious casualty of the roster squeeze.
Bronny Still Must Earn His Lakers Role
GettyBronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers dribbles into the defense of Aaron Holiday of the Houston Rockets Game One of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs.
Remaining on the roster would not guarantee Bronny regular playing time.
He appeared in 42 games last season, averaging 2.9 points and 1.2 assists in 8.9 minutes. His improvement as a shooter was more noteworthy: Bronny made 38.6% of his three-point attempts after converting only 28.1% as a rookie.
That progress carried into the postseason. JJ Redick trusted Bronny with meaningful rotation minutes during the Lakers’ first-round victory over the Houston Rockets, rather than limiting him exclusively to late-game appearances. Bronny played in all five games and contributed 10 points, four assists and two rebounds over 24 combined minutes in Games 3 and 4, including a 15-minute stint in Game 4.
Injuries helped create that opportunity, but receiving consequential playoff minutes demonstrated how far Bronny had moved within Redick’s rotation. It also supports the Lakers’ belief that he can develop into a useful defensive guard instead of merely occupying a roster spot connected to his father.
The Lakers nevertheless have a crowded backcourt built around Doncic and Reaves. Bronny could again divide time between the NBA club and the South Bay Lakers while competing for limited reserve minutes.
His development will now be evaluated without the historic father-son pairing that accompanied his first two seasons. That creates a different kind of pressure, but it also allows Bronny to establish an identity independent of LeBron.
No final roster decision has been made. Yet when McMenamin outlined the Lakers’ most apparent trade candidates, he named three other players.
For Bronny’s Lakers future, what went unsaid was significant.
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